Amusement device producing sound with visual reinforcement

ABSTRACT

An action toy for young children which produces a clicking or popping sound accompanied by a popping action imparted to a number of small objects, such as tiny balls, as the toy is manipulated with the hands.

United States Patent Moeser AMUSEMENT DEVICE PRODUCING SOUND WITH VISUAL REINFORCEMENT [72] Inventor: Alan J. Moeser, Roosevelt, NJ. [73! Assigncc: Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. 221 Filed: Feb. 24, 1971 [211 App]. No.: 118,373

[52] US. Cl ..46/175, 46/191 [5 l Int. Cl. ..A63h 5/00 [58] Field of Search ..46/l74, 175, 191, 192, 33;

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,302,954 2/1967 Elwell ..46/1 74 51 Oct. 17,1972

DAmato ..46/l 74 Medlock ..46/175 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-A. Heinz Attorney-Spencer E. Olson and Martin M. Novack [5 7] ABSTRACT An action toy for young children which produces a clicking or popping sound accompanied by a popping action imparted to a number of small objects, such as tiny balls, as the toy is manipulated with the hands.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Sound-producing toys hold great fascination for young children, and a wide variety of toys having this general property have been designed and marketed. A child soon loses interest, however, in a toy that produces only sound, and to overcome this shortcoming efforts have been made to accompany the sound production with some kind of action and/or visual effeet, and a variety of action toys have been the result. Good examples are wheeled action toys which are available in many forms and produce sound in response to motion of the toy along the floor, usually accompanied by some type of animation. One known pull-toy of this general type, described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,937,475, consists of a-wheeled vehicle on which is supported a dome-shaped transparent housing containing a number of loosely confined objects, such as balls. When the toy is pulled, a popping mechanism intermittently tosses the balls against the dome, thereby providing a popping action and sound which resembles corn popping in a corn-popper.

While the just-described toy is entertaining, a child must be able to walk to play with it, and moreover, because when standing and walking he cannot closely watch the dome, he cannot fully enjoy the fascination of the balls being popped against the dome.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an action toy for young children, including those not yet able to walk, which can be held in the hands and manipulated to produce sound with visual reinforcement.

Another object of the invention is to provide an action toy of this type which has a minimum number of parts and which can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objects are achieved by a handmanipulable toy consisting essentially of two cylindrical chambers, one of which is closed at one end and open at the other and having therein a resilient striker member which projects slightly from the open end, and the other of which is closed at one end with a transparent window and at the other end by a ridged membrane, and contains a multiplicity of small objects, such as tiny balls or pellets. The closed chamber, of substantially the same diameter as the other, is rotatably joined to the open end of the other, with the projecting end of the striker engaging the ridged membrane. Relative rotation between the two chambers, in either direction, causes a popping sound as the striker engages and disengages the ridges on the membrane, and when the toy is held with the window facing upward, the action of the striker member vibrates the ridged membrane, which in turn, tosses the small objects toward and against the window.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent, and its construction and operation better understood, from the following detailed descrip tion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view, partially cut away, showing a toy constructed in accord withthis invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation cross-section view taken along line 2--2.of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged elevation cross-section view ofa portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of one of the chambers; and

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along-line 3A-3A of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the presently preferred form thereof, the toy is intended to be hand-held and manipulated by small children, andis illustrated in approximately full size. It consists essentially of two cylinders 10 and 12 having equal outside diameters, typically 2% inches, formed of a suitable plastic material, preferably by injection molding. The two cylinders are also of substantially equal height, about 1% inches being typical. The cylinder 10 is closed at one end and open at the other end and has integrally molded therein, along a diameter thereof, a thin septum 14 which extends with a slight taper from the bottom toward the open end. The septum 14 is of uniform height from one end and over a major portion of its length, and near the other end is formed with an extension 14a of generally trapezoidal shape which projects slightly from the open end of the cylinder 10. Typically, the septum is about 0.080 thick at the bottom, tapering to 0.031 inches at the top, and the extension 14a is dimensioned to give it the appropriate resiliencey for the material from which it is made. For reasons which will be seen, the extension 14a is designed to be bent slightly to either side of the plane of the septum 14 upon application at its extremity of a relatively small force normal to the plane, and to spring back to its rest position when the force is removed. The cylinder 10 and septum 14 are preferably formed of opaque Delrin" because of its mechanical properties, and so as to conceal the septum l4 and the extension 140, the latter being a primary contributor to the sound production and the popping action of the toy.

The other cylinder 12, which is preferably formed of opaque polypropylene, is closed at one end with a thin, transparent, relatively rigid circular window 16 which may be formed, for example, of Richardson NAS crystal material. The window is dimensioned to snap into and be rigidly held in a peripheral groove 18 in the inner wall of the cylinder.

The other end of cylinder 12 is closed by an integral membrane 20, the inner surface of which is smooth, and the outer surface of which is formed with a multiplicity of ridges 20a which extend radially inward from the periphery, stopping short of the center at a radius of about 0.438 inch. The thickness of the membrane 20 between the ridges and at the center is typically 0.031 inch, and the ridges are typically 0.031 inch high, a fragmentary cross-section of the membrane and one ridge being shown in FIG. 3A.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the end of cylinder 12 closed by membrane 20 is assembled within the open end of cylinderl0, the two cylinders being separably joined together, as best seen in FIG. 2A, by a circumferential ridge 12a which is received by a circumferential groove 10a in the inner wall of cylinder 10.

The wall of cylinder is of sufficiently reduced thickness in the region of ridge 12a to permit it being deformed slightly to allow the ridge to snap into the groove. The cooperating ridge and groove also provides a bearing on which the two cylinders may be rotated relative to each other, they being dimensioned, however, to offer some frictional resistance to relative rotation. This mode of securing the two cylinders together also allows them to be popped apart for inspection of the striker and ridges and to be popped together again.

The spacing of ridge 10a from the wall 20 is so related to the extent of projection of extension 14a from cylinder 10 that the tip of the extension almost touches the wall 20 in the areas between the ridges 20a. Accordingly, as one of the cylinders is rotated relative to the other, in either direction, a ridge 20a engages the tip of the extension 14a and deflects it from its rest position to such an extent that upon continued rotation it rides over the ridge, whereupon it snaps back to its rest position to be engaged by the next ridge. Continued relative rotation of the cylinders produces a clicking or popping sound, and at the same time vibrates the membrane 20. Being closed at the other end by window 16, the cylinder 12 behaves somewhat like a drum in that it amplifies the sound produced by the vibration of membrane 20. 2

Visual reinforcement of the sound produced by the coaction of the striker 14a and ridges 20a is provided by a multiplicity of small objects, such as small balls or pellets, contained within closed container 12. In a preferred embodiment, the small objects are balls 22 formed of acetate, typically 3%mm in diameter, sufficient in number to form a single layer over the area of membrane 20. When the cylinders are relatively rotated with the window facing upwardly, the membrane 20 is intermittently vibrated, at a rate dependent upon the rate of rotation, tossing the balls upwardly toward and against the transparent window. Not all of the balls reach the window, and they do not necessarily move vertically, and, when the balls 22 are white in color, given the illusion of swirling snow, especially when the rotation is rapid.

It will be observed that besides being entertaining the toy has a construction which teaches the yound child to associate the visual effect with the position of the toy. That is, in all positions of the toy except with the window 16 facing upwardly, the balls 22 are not tossed (and in any event, they are not visible to the child) and only the popping sound of the striker riding over the ridges is sensed as the cylinders are relatively rotated. However, when the child discovers that he can observe the popping action of the balls when the cylinders are manipulated with the window facing up, he will learn to so position it to obtain the added visual effect.

Moreover, the construction teaches the young child the concept of relative rotation between two objects, and develops the coordination, and strength, of fingers and wrists required to produce such rotation against the frictional drag of the bearing surfaces. Thus, the toy has a certain therapeutic value in addition to being entertaining.

I claim:

1. An action toy adapted for hand manipulation comprisin firs? and second hollow cylindrical members having substantially equal diameters and each having first and second ends, said cylindrical members being joined together end-to-end for relative rotation with respect to each other around a common axis,

a ridged membrane closing the end of said first cylindrical member joined to said second cylindrical member,

a transparent window closing the end of said first cylindrical member opposite said membrane,

a plurality of small objects loosely confined within said first cylindrical member, and

a resilient striker member disposed within said cylindrical member and positioned and dimensioned to engage said ridged membrane,

relative rotation of said cylindrical members causing co-action between said striker member and said ridged membrane to produce a popping sound and vibration of said ridged membrane.

2. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said cylindrical members are formed of opaque plastic material whereby said striker member is concealed from view and said small objects are visible only through said transparent window.

3. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said small objects are small balls.

4. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said small objects are small balls sufficient in number to form a single layer thereof over the area of said membrane.

5. An action toy according to claim 2 wherein said small objects are small balls.

6. An action toy according to claim 2 wherein said small objects are small acetate balls sufficient in number to form a single layer thereof over the area of said membrane.

7. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said first and second cylindrical members have substantially equal lengths.

8. An action toy according to claim 7 wherein said first and second cylindrical members are separably joined together by a circumferential ridge on one of said cylindrical members engaging a circumferential groove in the wall of the other of said cylindrical members. 

1. An action toy adapted for hand manipulation comprising, first and second hollow cylindrical members having substantially equal diameters and each having first and second ends, said cylindrical members being joined together end-to-end for relative rotation with respect to each other around a common axis, a ridged membrane closing the end of said first cylindrical member joined to said second cylindrical member, a transparent window closing the end of said first cylindrical member opposite said membrane, a plurality of small objects loosely confined within said first cylindrical member, and a resilient striker member disposed within said cylindrical member and positioned and dimensioned to engage said ridged membrane, relative rotation of said cylindrical members causing co-action between said striker member and said ridged membrane to produce a popping sound and vibration of said ridged membrane.
 2. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said cylindrical members are formed of opaque plastic material whereby said striker member is concealed from view and said small objects are visible only through said transparent window.
 3. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said small objects are small balls.
 4. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said small objects are small balls sufficient in number to form a single layer thereof over the area of said membrane.
 5. An action toy according to claim 2 wherein said small objects are small balls.
 6. An action toy according to claim 2 wherein said small objects are small acetate balls sufficient in number to form a single layer thereOf over the area of said membrane.
 7. An action toy according to claim 1 wherein said first and second cylindrical members have substantially equal lengths.
 8. An action toy according to claim 7 wherein said first and second cylindrical members are separably joined together by a circumferential ridge on one of said cylindrical members engaging a circumferential groove in the wall of the other of said cylindrical members. 